How to help your team overcome AI resistance and embrace change

Getting ready to introduce artificial intelligence tools in your training business? Here’s how to ease your team’s AI anxiety before adoption.

How to help your team overcome AI resistance and embrace change

During our pilot programme for Bud Assist, we spoke to apprenticeship training providers about the attitudes towards AI in their businesses. The prevailing opinion was that providers who don’t focus on AI will fall behind, because other businesses are already benefiting from the valuable insights available. 

However, each training provider also raised the same barrier to implementation: AI anxiety. Their teams were nervous that AI was going to take over their jobs or change their responsibilities, which made them reluctant to give new tools a chance.

It’s a challenge facing almost every sector and business, but one that you should address sooner rather than later. Ignoring the issue can intensify anxieties and create an atmosphere of distrust, which can ultimately affect morale, productivity and staff turnover.

So what’s the best way to overcome AI resistance? Here’s how to approach the subject with your team and create a plan of action.

Understanding your team’s AI anxieties  

The first step is to talk to your team and find the root causes of AI resistance. Encourage them to be open and honest, even if it means that they’re critical of the business or past decisions. 

Your instinct might be to rebut concerns, but focus on listening rather than trying to provide solutions on the spot. Offering quick fixes can sometimes come across as dismissive, so let your team know that you take their worries seriously and you’ll come back to them with a thoughtful plan of action.

Common concerns include:

• Fears of AI taking over jobs, with staff being paid less or made redundant

• Lack of knowledge or skills, with staff worried that they will be expected to use complex technology they don’t understand 

• Disruption to existing routines and the potential for increased workloads

• Distrust of new technology, particularly around data privacy and risks of bias

• Lack of clear direction from apprenticeship bodies and the Department for Education

A widespread fear of change

As you get deeper into these conversations, you’ll likely encounter a general fear of change. Humans are creatures of habit, and it’s natural to resist the unknown in favour of certainty and stability. Your team might recognise the value of AI tools, but be reluctant to actually use them. 

It’s a conflict that a lot of businesses are dealing with at the moment. PwC’s latest Global Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey found that more than half of workers believe there’s too much change happening at once, while 44% don’t understand why things need to change at all. 

As the report puts it, today’s workers are “caught between today and tomorrow”, with current pressures “clouding their vision of what the future could look like and how they can contribute”.

Five steps for overcoming AI resistance

As a leader, it’s up to you to help your team make this transition. Once you’ve heard their concerns, decide on the steps you’ll take to address AI anxiety and lay the foundation for successful adoption.

Every training provider and team will be different, but here are five steps to help you get started.

1. Explain the reasons for change

We resist change for a range of reasons, whether it’s a loss of control or the fear of stepping outside of our familiar routine. 

A good first step is to help your team understand why you need to make a change. For a lot of apprenticeship providers, technology like AI is essential to become more efficient, resilient and competitive; it can improve margins and make it easier to scale learner numbers.

Giving your team some insight will provide context for the change and show them that it’s a necessary step for the business to move forward.

2. Communicate the personal benefits

Changing systems and processes can be stressful, so make sure each employee understands what’s in it for them individually. How can AI make their job faster, easier or more enjoyable? 

For example, AI can:

• Alert trainers to patterns in learner performance and behaviour

• Significantly reduce the time and cost involved in marking

• Speed up curriculum development and generate high-quality resources 

Sharing success stories of other apprenticeship training providers can also remove objections about using AI tools specifically in an education setting. You can find some great examples in our Navigating the fog of AI whitepaper.

3. Highlight the value of your team

It’s important to reassure your team that introducing AI won’t put their jobs at risk. Remind them that AI is designed to assist them in their roles and speed up administrative tasks, not replace them.

Emphasise the unique contributions each person makes to the business and the positive impact they have on learners. AI tools should free them up to spend more time providing high-quality support and doing the work they’re most passionate about. 

4. Roll out AI in phases

Avoid making too many changes at once, which can overwhelm your team and deepen resistance to new technology. 

A better approach is to start small and introduce AI in phases. This gives your team time to familiarise themselves with new tools and learn how to use them effectively, before you make the next change.

5. Provide training and learning opportunities

Finally, training and coaching should underpin each step of the implementation process. Providing ongoing support will allow your team to build the skills, mindset and confidence needed to put new AI tools into practice.

In addition to technical skills, it’s equally important to develop soft skills like critical thinking and problem solving too. These competencies are crucial for evaluating AI outputs and ensuring that new tools are used responsibly and effectively.

Some other tips for your training:

• Make sure training is accessible to all skill levels, so no one gets left behind

• Schedule one-to-one meetings to monitor individual progress and give staff the chance to voice any concerns

• Encourage your team to share their experiences with using AI tools and learn from each other

Transform your training with Bud

Bud’s AI-driven features empower training providers to streamline daily operations and work more efficiently. Each feature is designed specifically to support training provision and is securely hosted in the UK, giving you peace of mind in data privacy.

• Bud Assist: Divided into two distinct components, each serving a unique purpose. Use Bud Assist Chatbot for quick and accurate responses to queries, and Bud Assist Insights to analyse learner data and gain valuable insights

• Bud Mark: Revolutionising the marking and feedback process, Bud Mark provides a more efficient, consistent and transparent way to assess learner performance

Find out more by booking a discovery call now.